Pump

ABSTRACT

A combined pumping and filtering mechanism for viscous liquids containing solids comprises a central cylindrical chamber surrounded by one or more concentric annular chambers, each of which contains a rotatable impeller mounted at an angle with respect to a radial plane.

[ 1 June 5,1973

United States Patent [191 Neidl [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS s4] PUMP Inventor: Georg Neidl, 1m Bisch 664, Schaan,

Liechtenstein [22] Filed: Sept. 11, 1970 Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. AztorneyChristen & Sabol [21] Appl. No.: 71,351

Related 1.1.8. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 822,342, Feb. 18, 1969, Pat. No.

[57] ABSTRACT A combined pumping and filtering mechanism for viscous liquids containing solids comprises a central cylindrical chamber surrounded by one or more con- 3,640,474, which is a division of Ser. No. 452,502, May 3, 1965, Pat. No. 3,502,274.

[52] US. 241/74 ...B02c 13/13 .241/74, 154

centric annular chambers, each of which contains a [51] Int.

rotatable impeller mounted at an angle with respect to a radial plane.

Field of Search.........................

2 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PUMP This application is a division of my application Ser. No. 822,342, filed Feb. 18, 1969, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,474, granted Feb. 8, 1972, which is a division of Ser. No. 452,502, filed May 3, 1965, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,274, granted Mar. 24, 1970.

This invention relates to rotary pumps of the type disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,956,503; 3,005,597; 3,060,862; 3,067,960; 3,113,734 and 3,120,353 and more particularly to the development of said type of machines for separating solids and liquids.

In all known filter constructions, whether they used centrifugal force, screens, vacuum, pressure, filter cloth, filter drums, or other means, the filtering machine was construed as a separate single purpose unit. Said constructions presented, in addition, always the difficulty that the filter openings readily clogged and had to be cleaned in relatively short time intervals by scrapers or other means.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a machine which avoids said drawbacks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which allows of combining processing operations such as mixing, tearing, comminuting, grinding, homogenizing, centrifuging, milling, kneading as well as separating, sorting, distilling with a filtering and pumping action.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example.

In the drawings:

The FIGURE shows a machine, in cross section and side elevation, incorporating the basic principle of this invention.

An embodiment of the invention particularly useful for large scale industrial plants is shown in the drawing.

7 A rotor 57 rotates on a shaft 58 driven by motor 59 in the housing 60 which, viewed from above, is provided all around with perforations 61. The housing 60 is charged from the line 62 through the nipple 63. The whole system is surrounded by a second symmetrical housing 64. The filtrate passing through the preforations 61 is acted upon by the rotor 65 in the housing 64. This rotor 65 presents not a full plane surface but a ring with an inclined circular plane. The inner diameter of said ring is larger than the outer diameter of the housing 60, and the ring is driven over a gear or rods 66 by motor 67. The outer walls of the housing 64 are provided with perforations 68 which pass the further separated particles into the housing 69. In said housing, an inclined impeller disc is driven by motor 72 over the gears or rod system 71. This third fractionation passes through the perforations 73 into the last separation chamber 74. Chambers 64, 69, and 74 are provided with outlet nipples 75, 76, and 77, respectively. Said nipples may be arranged symmetrically around the aggregate. 78 is the common collector for the outlets 75, and 79 is the collector for the outlets 76; the collector for the outlets 77 is not shown.

The drive motors 59, 67, and 72 are mounted on supports 80, 81, and 82. They are infinitely variable or at least connected for pole reversal. The circumferential speed of the rotors 57, 65, and is different, disregarding the fact that said rotors have different diameters.

The work chambers 60, 65, 69 can be emptied (or cleaned) through the nipples 63, 75, 76, 77, which are provided with branches and valves, or through separate openings (not shown). The entire fractionating tower stands on a supporting structure 83.

The manner of separation does not only depend on the shape of the perforations. Said apertures have not only varying profiles (holes, slots, triangles, squares, polygons, ellipses, etc.) but also the position of their axes need not be radial to the center of the machine. Inclined positions, particularly in the direction of rota; tion of the impeller, are often of advantage. Further, the cross section of the openings need not be constant over the whole length of the perforation. Tests have shown that, for instance, in the extraction of hops in beer brewing, conical forms are quite satisfactory; thereby, the openings flare conically towards the outside.

Also the length of the perforations is important. It will be readily visualized that the working chamber need not be simply perforated, as shown. Screening or straining inserts of various forms can be employed. Gauze or fabric screens can be used which are stretched over suitable supports. For instance, circular or semicircular supports may be employed, also more or less fine-meshed grates can be used.

Also the dimensions of the straining, screening or filtering means are important. I prefer to use as the innermost sieve, i.e. on the smallest diameter, a coarse mesh which is followed outwardly by sieves of increasingly finer mesh.

For producing the desired effects, not only the parameters discussed hereinabove are of importance, but also the form and shape of the rotor;

I claim:

1. A pump and strainer assembly comprising a stationary pump housing formed by walls defining a first pump chamber therein, an impeller rotating in said first pump chamber, a drive shaft for said impeller extending axially into said pump housing, said impeller being secured to said shaft for rotation in planes inclined to said shaft, a first shell enclosing said pump housing and forming with the walls thereof a second pump chamber, an annular impeller rotating in said second pump chamber around said pump housing, drive means for said impeller, strainer passages in said pump housing connecting said first and second pump chamber, a second shell enclosing said first shell and forming with the walls thereof a third chamber, strainer passages in said second shell connecting said second pump chamber with said third chamber, an inlet for said first pump chamber, and outlets for all said chambers.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said annular impeller has an inclination different from the inclination of the impeller in said first pump chamber. 

1. A pump and strainer assembly comprising a stationary pump housing formed by walls defining a first pump chamber therein, an impeller rotating in said first pump chamber, a drive shaft for said impeller extending axially into said pump housing, said impeller being secured to said shaft for rotation in planes inclined to said shaft, a first shell enclosing said pump housing and forming with the walls thereof a second pump chamber, an annular impeller rotating in said second pump chamber around said pump housing, drive means for said impeller, strainer passages in said pump housing connecting said first and second pump chamber, a second shell enclosing said first shell and forming with the walls thereof a third chamber, strainer passages in said second shell connecting said second pump chamber with said third chamber, an inlet for said first pump chamber, and outlets for all said chambers.
 2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said annular impeller has an inclination different from the inclination of the impeller in said first pump chamber. 